Configuration of ultra reliable low latency communication

ABSTRACT

Methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media are described for configuring Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) simultaneous transmissions, which can be used to enhance network performance and/or to enhance procedures within the UE to achieve more efficient operations. For example, techniques are described for determining which modulation coding scheme (MCS) table to apply based on various factors. Different techniques are also described for configuring user equipment (UE) with an RNTI based on different considerations.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent No.62/685,368, filed Jun. 15, 2018, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

This application is generally related to 5G technology. For example,aspects of this application relate to the configuration of an UltraReliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) service.

BACKGROUND

5G New Radio (NR) Access Technology was approved by the 3GPP standardsbody at its 71^(st) Plenary. The 5G NR scheme includes Enhanced MobileBroadband (eMBB), URLLC, and massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC).eMBB provides greater data bandwidth as compared to previousimplementations, and also delivers latency improvements and a widecoverage area. These improvements complement many high bandwidthapplications, such as virtual reality, augmented reality, streamingvideo, real-time translation, and more. mMTC provides high coverage,cost efficiency, lower power consumption, and long availability,allowing for connections with many devices over a robust connection.URLLC is another important use case of 5G NR. URLLC has strictrequirements for latency and reliability in order to support the mostcritical communications. A goal of URLLC is to meet the performancerequirements set forth in Technical Report (TR) 38.913.

To support such diverse use cases as eMBB, URLLC, and mMTC, the radioframe structure and the majority of the medium access (MAC) layerprocedures in new radio (NR) are designed to have high flexibility. Inaddition, NR introduces a brand new type of radio resource which has thecharacteristic of more robustness (i.e., low block error rate (BLER)level) than previous versions. The new type of radio resource aims toachieve a 1e-5 target BLER.

SUMMARY

Aspects of this application introduce methods, apparatuses, andcomputer-readable media for configuring a URLLC service. According tothe current data scheduling design within user equipment (UE)'s MACentity, the MAC can differentiate between the usage of uplink resourcesgranted from a gNodeB (gNB) in subcarrier spacing (SCS), which isrelated to the transmission delay (e.g., transmission time interval).However, the MAC entity cannot differentiate the BLER level of differentradio resources. For example, a gNB has flexibility in granting radioresources of different BLER levels (e.g., at least there will be oneBLER level of 10⁻¹ and another BLER level of 10⁻⁵). The inability of theMAC entity of the UE to differentiate the BLER level of different radioresources may seriously affect the fairness of the usage between eMBBand URLLC service. The current MAC procedures within the UE need furtherenhancement to achieve more efficient operations.

Aspects of this disclosure address these problems and others usingvarious techniques described herein. In one example, a method isprovided for configuring URLLC service. The method can determine a radionetwork temporary identifier (RNTI) associated with a UE. The methodcomprises receiving, at user equipment (UE), a downlink radio resourcecontrol (RRC) message including a plurality of information elements(IEs). The downlink RRC message is used to configure RRC for the UE. Themethod further comprises determining an RNTI associated with the UEbased on a cell group-specific IE of the plurality of IEs in thedownlink RRC message. The cell group-specific IE is used to configure acell group (CG), master cell group (MCG) or a secondary cell group(SCG). The RNTI is configured for cells within the MCG or SCG based onthe cell group-specific IE.

In some aspects, configuration parameters for the MCG or SCG areprovided in the cell group-specific IE.

In some aspects, the RNTI is a Modulation Coding Scheme Cell-RNTI(MCS-C-RNTI). In some aspects, the method further comprises receivinguplink grant and downlink data scheduling for the UE on one or morephysical shared channels of the MCG or SCG. In some aspects, anRNTI-based modulation coding scheme (MCS) determination rule is appliedto the uplink grant and downlink data scheduling in response to theMCS-C-RNTI being configured via the cell group-specific IE. In someaspects, applying the RNTI-based MCS determination rule includesobtaining information from a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH),determining one or more cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits in theinformation are scrambled with the RNTI, and applying a first modulationcoding scheme (MCS) table based on the determination. In some aspects,the information obtained from the PDCCH includes downlink controlinformation (DCI), the DCI including the one or more CRC bits scrambledwith the RNTI. In some aspects, the first MCS table is associated with ahigher channel code rate than a second MCS table.

In some aspects, a method of applying a search space-based modulationcoding scheme (MCS) table determination rule is provided. The methodcomprises obtaining downlink control information (DCI) from a downlinkchannel. The method further comprises determining a DCI formatassociated with the DCI. The method further comprises determiningwhether a search space associated with the downlink channel is a commonsearch space (CSS) or a user equipment specific search space (USS). Themethod further comprises applying a first modulation coding scheme (MSC)table or a second MCS table based on the DCI format and the searchspace.

In some aspects, the DCI format is 0_0 DCI format or a 1_0 DCI format,the search space is the CSS, and the first MCS table is applied based onthe search space being the CSS and the DCI format being the 0_0 DCIformat or the 1_0 DCI format. In some aspects, the first MCS table is a64 quadrature amplitude modulation (64QAM) MCS table.

In some aspects, the DCI format is a 0_0 DCI format, a 1_0 DCI format, a0_1 DCI format, or a 1_1 DCI format, the search space is the USS, andthe second MCS table is applied based on the search space being the USSand the DCI format being the 0_0 DCI format, the 1_0 DCI format, the 0_1DCI format, or the 1_1 DCI format. In some aspects, the second MCS tableis associated with a higher channel code rate than the first MCS table.In some aspects, the second MCS table is an Ultra-reliable and LowLatency Communications (URLLC)-MCS table.

In some aspects, the first MCS table or the second MCS table is appliedfor uplink grant and downlink data scheduling.

In some aspects, a method of applying an RNTI-based MCS tabledetermination rule is provided. The method comprises obtaininginformation from a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The methodfurther comprises determine one or more cyclic redundancy check (CRC)bits in the information are scrambled with a Radio Network TemporaryIdentifier (RNTI). The method further comprises applying a firstmodulation coding scheme (MCS) table based on the determination.

In some aspects, the information obtained from the PDCCH includesdownlink control information (DCI), the DCI including the one or moreCRC bits scrambled with the RNTI. In some aspects, the method furthercomprises descrambling the DCI with the RNTI.

In some aspects, the first MCS table is associated with a higher channelcode rate than a second MCS table. In some aspects, the first MCS tableis a Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC)-MCS (U-MCS)table.

In some aspects, the method further comprises determining one or moreCRC bits in information of an additional PDCCH are not scrambled withthe RNTI, and applying a second MCS table based on the determination. Insome aspects, the first MCS table is associated with a higher channelcode rate than the second MCS table.

In some aspects, the RNTI is a Modulation Coding Scheme Cell-RNTI(MCS-C-RNTI), or a U-RNTI.

In another example, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes amemory configured to store the one or more datasets and a processorcoupled to the memory. The processor is configured to perform stepsincluding the steps of the above methods.

This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features ofthe claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolationto determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject mattershould be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entirespecification of this patent, any or all drawings, and each claim.

The foregoing, together with other features and embodiments, will becomemore apparent upon referring to the following specification, claims, andaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the present application are described indetail below with reference to the following drawing:

FIG. 1 illustrates a network for communicating data streams, inaccordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 2 illustrates a 5G network architecture comprising a wirelessnetwork serving multiple RANs, in accordance with some examples providedherein;

FIG. 3 is an example of a MCS table for high reliability transmission,in accordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 4 is an example of a MCS table for 64QAM for normal reliabilitytransmission, in accordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 5 is an example of a MCS table for 256QAM for normal reliabilitytransmission, in accordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 6 is an SS-based MCS table determination rule, in accordance withsome examples provided herein;

FIG. 7 is an RNTI-based MCS table determination rule, in accordance withsome examples provided herein;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for deciding which MCS tabledetermination rule to apply, in accordance with some examples providedherein;

FIG. 9 is an example of a text proposal (TP) per UE-configured U-RNTIIE, in accordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 10 is an example of a TP per cell group configured U-RNTI IE, inaccordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 11 is an example of a TP per cell group configured U-RNTI IE, inaccordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 12 is an example of a TP per cell group configured U-RNTI IE, inaccordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 13 is an example of a TP per cell configured U-RNTI IE, inaccordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 14 is an example of a TP per cell configured U-RNTI IE, inaccordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 15 is an example of a TP per BWP configured U-RNTI IE, inaccordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 16 is an example of a TP per control channel configured U-RNTI IE,in accordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 17 is an example of a TP per control channel configured U-RNTI IE,in accordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 18 is an example of a TP per downlink data channel configuredU-RNTI IE, in accordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 19 is an example of a TP per downlink data channel configuredU-RNTI IE, in accordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 20 is an example of a TP per uplink data channel configured U-RNTIIE, in accordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 21 is an example of a TP per uplink data channel configured U-RNTIIE, in accordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 22 is an example of a TP per cell group configured U-RNTI-I IE, inaccordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 23 is an example of a TP per downlink data channel configuredU-RNTI-II IE, in accordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 24 is an example of a TP of U-RNTI-II for configured grant IE, inaccordance with some examples provided herein;

FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method forperforming U-RNTI based configuration per cell group, in accordance withsome examples provided herein;

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for applyingthe search space-based MCS table determination rule, in accordance withsome examples provided herein;

FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for applyingthe RNTI-based MCS table determination rule, in accordance with someexamples provided herein; and

FIG. 28 is an example computing device architecture of an examplecomputing device that can implement the various techniques describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain aspects and embodiments of this disclosure are provided below.Some of these aspects and embodiments may be applied independently andsome of them may be applied in combination as would be apparent to thoseof skill in the art. In the following description, for the purposes ofexplanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of embodiments of the application. However, itwill be apparent that various embodiments may be practiced without thesespecific details. The figures and description are not intended to berestrictive.

The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is notintended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of thedisclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodimentswill provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description forimplementing an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood thatvarious changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elementswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the application as setforth in the appended claims.

As noted above, the 5G New Radio (NR) Access Technology includes theenhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra Reliable Low LatencyCommunication (URLLC), and massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC)services. The eMBB service may be used to provide high data rates acrossa wide coverage area. The URLLC service may be used to achieve highreliability and low latency in a wireless network. The mMTC serviceprovides high coverage, cost efficiency, lower power consumption, andlong availability. To support such diverse use cases as eMBB, URLLC, andmMTC, the radio frame structure and the majority of the medium access(MAC) layer procedures in new radio (NR) are designed to have highflexibility. In addition, NR introduces a brand new type of radioresource which has the characteristic of more robustness (e.g., lowblock error rate (BLER) level) than previous versions. The new type ofradio resource aims to achieve a 1e-5 target BLER.

Techniques are described herein for configuring a URLLC service (forhigh reliability and low latency). The techniques can enhance networkperformance (e.g., of a gNB), enhance MAC procedures within the UE toachieve more efficient operations, among others enhancements. In someexamples, techniques are described for determining an MCS table to applybased on various factors (e.g., search space, based on an RNTI, etc.).In some examples, different techniques are described for configuring aUE with an RNTI based on different considerations (e.g., per cell group,per UE, per cell, per bandwidth part (BWP), per control channel, perdownlink data channel, per uplink channel, or other considerations).Before discussing such techniques, an example of a wirelesscommunication system will be described with respect to FIG. 1 and FIG.2.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network 100 for communicating datastreams. As used herein, “data streams” may include voice streams andstreaming data for text messaging such as short message service (SMS)messages, multimedia message service (MMS) messages, applications,uploads, downloads, e-mails, and the like. The network 100 may comprisean access point (AP) 110. The AP 110 may be any component or collectionof components configured to provide wireless access, such as a basestation. The base station may be, for example, an enhanced base station(eNB or eNodeB), or Next Generation nodeB (gNB). The AP 110 may have acoverage area 101 (such as a cell), one or more mobile devices 120, anda backhaul network 130. Although shown and described as having twomobile devices 120, it is contemplated that there can be any number ofmobile devices 120, ranging from just one mobile device 120 to thousandsor even more mobile devices 120.

The AP 110 may establish uplink and/or downlink connections with themobile devices 120. The uplink and/or downlink connections may carrydata between the mobile devices 120 and the AP 110. Although a certainnumber of components are shown and described, it is contemplated thatany number of additional components may be provided or may be omittedfrom FIG. 1 for the purpose of simplicity, such as routers, relays,remote radio heads, and the like.

5G represents the fifth generation of digital cellular networks. 3GPPgenerally refers to 5G New Radio (5G NR) as “5G”. Worldwide, companiesare beginning to offer 5G hardware and systems for carriers, which areproviding high download and upload speeds as compared to previoustechnologies. In general, as with previous wireless technologies, 5Gservice areas are divided into geographical areas called cells. Whenuser equipment crosses from one geographical cell to another, thecommunication is handed off between two geographical cells in such a waythat the communication is not dropped and little to no observabledifferences are seen.

Aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented in 5G wirelessnetworks that may include multiple radio access networks (RANs). FIG. 2is a diagram illustrating a 5G network architecture 200 comprising awireless network 205 serving multiple RANs, including a first RAN 210and a second RAN 220. The wireless network may comprise various gatewaydevices, such as serving gateways and pack data network gateways. Inaddition, the RANs may include one or more APs, such as base stations ornodes, which can include gNBs for 5G telecommunications networks.

Three main types of use cases have been defined for 3G: eMBB, URLLC, andMassive Machine Type Communications (mMTC). eMBB appreciates fasterconnections, more capacity, and higher throughput as compared to 4G. Forexample, eMBB may appreciate 10-20 Gbps peak, 100 Mbps when needed, upto 10,000 times more traffic, support for macro and small cells, supportat up to 500 km/h for high mobility, and significant network energysavings. URLLC provides uninterrupted data exchange for mission criticalapplications that may require fast response rates. For example, URLLCmay be extremely responsive with under 1 millisecond (ms) of airinterface latency. In addition, URLLC may be highly reliable andavailable at rates of almost 100%. URLLC appreciates low to medium datarates and high speed mobility. As compared to 4G, URLLC may appreciate alatency target of 1 ms, while eMBB appreciates a latency target of 4 ms.In comparison, 4G can and do experience latency times of greater than 20ms. mMTC supports scalability and increased lifetime due to a largenumber of low power devices in a widespread area. For example, mMTC maysupport a high density of devices over a long range, a low data rate,low cost, and long lasting battery power.

Block Error Rate (BLER) is a measurement type of quality intelecommunication systems. An example calculation of the BLERmeasurement is as follows:

${BLER} = \frac{{Number}\mspace{14mu} {of}\mspace{14mu} {Erroneous}\mspace{14mu} {Blocks}}{{Total}\mspace{14mu} {Number}\mspace{14mu} {of}\mspace{14mu} {Transmitted}\mspace{14mu} ( {{or}\mspace{14mu} {Recieved}} )\mspace{14mu} {Blocks}}$

The BLER calculation can be based on a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)evaluation, which is used for inspection of the transport blocks at theUE side. CRC can be attached to each transport block and sent by atransmitter (e.g., a gNB). At the destination (e.g., UE), the transportblock can be cross checked by the UE. An erroneous block can be definedas a transport block including a CRC that is wrong (or in error). Thetransport block can be successfully decoded if the attached CRC matchesthe CRC calculated by the receiver. Retransmission can be performed forthe blocks that are received in error.

A radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) is used to differentiateand/or identify one specific radio channel from other radio channeland/or one device (e.g., UE) from another device. For example, an RNTIcan identify a connected UE in a cell, a specific radio channel, a groupof UEs in case of paging, a group of UEs for which power control isissued by the eNB, system information transmitted for all the UEs by agNB, and/or other identifications. In some cases, a downlink controlinformation (DCI) message (e.g., the CRC bits of each DCI) can bescrambled by a specific RNTI value.

In general, URLLC service has stronger requirements on the radioresources, with lower BLER level requirements as compared to eMBBservice. eMBB service places more emphasis on the data rate than theBLER level, at least in part because the eMBB service can also besatisfied with normal BLER level radio resources (e.g., BLER level of10⁻¹; it is noted that the notation 10⁻¹ can also be written as 1e-1,and the 10⁻⁵ notation can be written as 1e-5.). Hence, if radioresources and/or data granted from a gNB are targeting low BLER, the MACmay prioritize the low BLER radio resource to be adopted by the URLLCservice rather than the eMBB service, in which case the URLLC servicewill be able to use the radio resource over the eMBB service.

Due to flexible granting by the gNB of different BLER levels (e.g., atleast there will be one BLER level of 10⁻¹ and another BLER level of10⁻⁵) of radio resources, the current MAC procedures within the UE needfurther enhancement to achieve more efficient operation. For example,the MAC of the UE may not be able to differentiate the BLER level ofdifferent radio resources, which can negatively affect the fairness ofthe usage between eMBB and URLLC service.

Further, in order to indicate a proper modulation and coding scheme(MCS) of granted radio resources which have different target BLERlevels, the gNB needs to refer to the channel quality indicator (CQI)reported by the UE based on each of the supporting BLER levels. Duringuplink grant and downlink data scheduling, a gNB indicates the MCSand/or BLER of the radio resource it scheduled to the UE through theradio resource control (RRC) layer and/or through the physical layer onper data scheduling, per service type, per physical channel, per logicalchannel, per bandwidth part (BWP), per serving cell or per MAC entity'sbasis.

The physical channels include, but are not limited to, Physical UplinkShared Channel (PUSCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH),Physical Uplink Common Control Channel (PUCCH), and Physical DownlinkControl Channel (PDCCH). The logical channels can be, but are notlimited to, Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH), Paging Control Channel(PCCH), Common Control Channel (CCCH), Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH),and Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH). The bandwidth part (BWP) refers tothe UE's operating bandwidth within the cell's operating bandwidth,which is indicated by the gNB. The UE's operating bandwidth is a subsetof the total cell's operating bandwidth.

When only Carrier Aggregation (CA) is configured, and no DualConnectivity (DC) is configured, the UE only has one RRC connection withthe network. At RRC connection establishment, re-establishment, andhandover, one serving cell provides the Non-access stratum (NAS)mobility information. The NAS is a set of protocols in the EvolvedPacket System, and can be used to manage the establishment ofcommunication sessions and for maintaining continuous communicationswith a UE as it moves. For example, the NAS can be used to conveynon-radio signaling between the UE and the Mobility Management Entity(MME) for network access (e.g., an LTE/E-UTRAN access, 5G access, andthe like). At RRC connection re-establishment and handover, one servingcell provides the security input. This serving cell is referred to asthe Primary Cell (PCell). Depending on UE capabilities, Secondary Cells(SCells) can be configured to form, together with the PCell, a set ofserving cells. The configured set of serving cells for a UE maytherefore include one PCell and one or more SCells.

The MAC entity of the UE can handle transport channels, such asBroadcast Channel (BCH), Downlink Shared Channel(s) (DL-SCH), PagingChannel (PCH), Uplink Shared Channel(s) (UL-SCH), and Random AccessChannel(s) (RACH). In Carrier Aggregation (CA), a single MAC entity maybe configured to the UE and each of the aggregated serving cells (e.g.,PCell, SCells, or the like) may be associated with the configured MACentity for the UE. In Dual Connectivity, two MAC entities are configuredto the UE: one for the Master Cell Group (MCG) and one for the SecondaryCell Group (SCG).

According to examples described herein, for grant-based URLLC datatransmission, a gNB may apply new RRC parameter(s) for configuring aURLLC-specific RNTI, and may also extend the options of the existing RRCinformation element (IE) denoted MCS-table for indicating the MCS tablefor which the URLLC data transmission should apply. It is noted that,since the reliability requirement for URLLC and eMBB is different, theMCS table applied for the URLLC data transmission and for the eMBB datatransmission may be different. Techniques are described herein fordetermining which MCS table to apply based on various factors.

When the UE simultaneously supports both of the eMBB and URLLC datatransmissions, the gNB may indicate at least two independent MCS tablesto the UE. An MCS table can include values summarizing the number ofspatial streams, the modulation type, and the coding rate for a UE thatis possible when connecting to the gNB. Based on the indication of atleast two independent MCS tables, there can be one MCS table for theeMBB data transmission and another MCS table for the URLLC datatransmission. A newly defined URLLC-specific RNTI and new MCS table areprovided herein, and are referred herein to as U-RNTI (or MCS-C-RNTI)and U-MCS, respectively. The new U-MCS table is associated with a higherchannel code rate (e.g., designed based on the BLER of 1e-5) than theexisting MCS tables that can be used for other services, such as eMBBtransmissions.

There are two existing options for the MCS table, including for example,64QAM and 256QAM, which are designed based on the BLER of 1e-1. In orderto achieve lower BLER for supporting URLLC service, the NR standard canextend the options of the MCS-table to introduce the new MCS tabledescribed herein (the U-MCS), which is designed based on a BLER of 1e-5.FIG. 3 is an example of an MCS table (e.g., the U-MCS) for highreliability transmissions (based on URLLC). FIG. 4 is an example of anMCS table for 64QAM for normal reliability transmission (e.g., designedbased on a BLER of 1e-1, such as for eMBB or other service). FIG. 5 isan example of an MCS table for 256QAM for normal reliabilitytransmission (e.g., designed based on a BLER of 1e-1, such as for eMBBor other service).

Two independent MCS table determination rules are described herein,which are designed for the UE to determine which of the MCS tablesshould be applied for each uplink grant and the downlink datascheduling. The MCS determination rules are illustrated in FIG. 6 andFIG. 7.

FIG. 6 shows a search-space-based (SS-based) MCS determination rule. Asearch space (or PDCCH search space) refers to the area in the downlinkresource grid where a PDCCH may be carried. A UE can perform blinddecoding throughout one or more search spaces trying to find PDCCH data(e.g., DCI). For example, in order for UE to decode PDCCH data (e.g.,DCI), the UE has to figure out the exact value for location (e.g., CCEindex), structure (e.g., Aggregation Level, Interleaving, and/or otherstructures), RNTI, and/or other information. In some cases, thisinformation is not indicated to UE beforehand, and the values can changedynamically. Information (e.g., via a predefined rule or signalingmessage) is provided to the UE regarding a certain search range thatpossibly carries PDCCH data (e.g., DCI). Within the search range, the UEcan try to decode PDCCH/DCI using different types of parameters (e.g.,CCE Index, Aggregation Level, RNTI, etc.) on a trial and error basis.This type of decoding is referred to as blind decoding. The pre-definedregion in which a UE perform the blind decoding is called a searchspace.

Two types of search spaces are provided, and are referred to as aUE-specific search space (USS) and a common search space (CSS). The USSis dedicated for each specific UE. The USS can be indicated to the UEvia an RRC signaling message, in which case the UE will need to completeRRC establishment to obtain the information about the USS. The CSS is aspecific search space that a UE needs to search for signals provided toevery UE (e.g., PDCCH for system information block (SIB)) or signalingmessages that are applied to every UE before a dedicated channel isestablished for a specific UE (e.g., PDCCH used during a random accesschannel (RACH) process).

Returning to FIG. 6, the SS-based MCS table determination rule can bebased on the DCI format (e.g., 0_0, 1_0, 0_1, or 1_1) and the type ofsearch space specified to the UE. For example, a UE can determine a DCIformat associated with a DCI included in a downlink channel (e.g., PDCCHor other downlink channel). The UE can determine whether the searchspace associated with the downlink channel is the CSS or the USS. Acertain MCS table is applied based on the DCI format and whether thesearch space is CSS or USS. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, for DCIformats 0_0 and 1_0 in CSS, the existing 64QAM MCS table (e.g., fornormal reliability transmission, such as for eMBB) can be used, such asthe MCS table shown in FIG. 4. In another example, as shown in FIG. 6,for DCI formats 0_0, 1_0, 0_1, and 1_1 in USS, the newly defined U-MCStable is used, such as the U-MCS table (sometimes referred to as aqam64LowSE) shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is an RNTI-based MCS table determination rule. As noted above,RNTIs may be used to differentiate and/or identify one specific radiochannel from other radio channel and/or one UE from another UE (e.g., todifferentiate UEs in a cell). The RNTI-based MCS table determinationrule can be based on whether the DCI CRC is scrambled with the newlydefined U-RNTI (sometimes referred to as a MCS-C-RNTI). For example, aUE can obtain information from a PDCCH, and can determine one or moreCRC bits in the information are scrambled with the U-RNTI. The UE canapply a certain MCS table based on the determination. For example, asshown in FIG. 6, the RNTI-based MCS table determination rule indicatesthat, if the DCI CRC is scrambled with the U-RNTI (or MCS-C-RNTI), theU-MCS table is used (e.g., the U-MCS table shown in FIG. 3). Otherwise,the UE can follow existing NR behaviour (e.g., the UE can use the 64QAMMCS table, such as that shown in FIG. 4, or the 256QAM MCS table, suchas that shown in FIG. 5. In some cases, whether the 64QAM MCS table orthe 256QAM MCS table is applied by the UE, is configured by the gNB viaan RRC layer.

The RNTI-based MCS table determination rule has shorter latency on thedynamic changing between scheduling radio resources with different MCStables (e.g., level of the BLERs). Within each appearance of a PDCCH, agNB may indicate the MCS table by scrambling the DCI with the C-RNTI orthe U-RNTI (e.g., based on the RNTI-based MCS determination rule). Thismeans that the UE may have the possibility of increasing the blinddecoding overhead because the UE needs to descramble the DCI with theU-RNTI. The SS-based MCS table determination rule implicitly indicatesthe MCS table of the scheduled radio resource by which type of SS (USSfor one MCS table and CSS for another MCS table) that the DCI isreceived on. Hence, the blind decoding overhead is not increased for theSS-based MCS table determination rule, but the scheduling flexibility islimited by the periodicity of the USS and CSS. Based on differentscenarios, the gNB can configure the UE with different MCS tabledetermination rules for different cell groups, BWPs, data channels,among others. Such configuration of the MCS determination rules meansthat it is possible that the gNB configures the U-RNTI to the UE on perUE, per cell group (e.g., per MAC entity), per BWP, per control channel(e.g., PDCCH), or per data channel (e.g., PDSCH or PUSCH). Depending onhow the gNB makes the U-RNTI configuration, the UE MCS tabledetermination rule for each cell group, BWP, control channel, or datachannel may be different.

The UE may either apply the RNTI-based or SS-based MCS tabledetermination rule for each of the uplink grant and the downlink datascheduling. The decision of which MCS table determination rule is to beapplied by the UE can be based on whether the newly defined U-RNTI isconfigured for the UE, as illustrated by the flowchart shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of deciding which of the MCStable determination rules to apply. As shown in FIG. 8, whether theU-RNTI is configured by the gNB is one of the conditions for the UE todecide which of the MCS table determination rules should be applied. Themethod starts at step 805. At step 810, it is determined whether or notU-RNTI is configured. If U-RNTI is configured for the UE, the methodcontinues at step 825 and the RNTI-based MCS table determination rule isapplied. The method then ends at step 830. If the U-RNTI is notconfigured at step 810, the method continues at step 815 where it isdetermined whether MCS-table IE indicates U-MCS. If, at step 815, it isdetermined that the MCS-table IE indicates U-MCS (a “true”determination), the SS-based MCS table determination rule is applied atstep 820. The method then ends at step 830. If it is determined at step815 that the MCS-table IE does not indicate U-MCS (a “false”determination), the method ends at step 830. However, it is unclear howthe gNB configures the U-RNTI to the UE, and how the U-RNTI isconfigured to the UE from the gNB on which kind of basis. Each of theconfiguration alternatives listed above results in a different level ofUE blind decoding overhead and differing flexibility of the uplink grantand the downlink data scheduling.

Different techniques for configuration of the U-RNTI (or MCS-C-RNTI) aredescribed. In one example, configuration of U-RNTI is configured per UE.For example, during the RRC configuration or RRC reconfigurationprocedure, a gNB can configure the U-RNTI to the UE on a per UEperspective via specific downlink RRC message (e.g.,RRCReconfiguration). Within the specific downlink RRC message, the gNBmay indicate the value of the U-RNTI (e.g., U-RNTI-Value) to the UE byincluding a U-RNTI IE within the RRCReconfiguration message. An exampleof such an RRCReconfiguration message is shown in FIG. 9 as an exampleof a text proposal (TP). The “U-RNTI” IE (highlighted in FIG. 9 alongwith the corresponding U-RNTI-Value) is just an example. In someimplementations, the U-RNTI IE can be contained in any other position ofthe RRCReconfiguration message.

Once the gNB configures the U-RNTI to the UE on the per-UE perspective,some or all of the uplink grant and the downlink data scheduling to theUE on some or all of the data channels, control channels, BWPs, and/orcell groups are considered to be assigned by the gNB to apply theRNTI-based MCS table determination rule.

In another example, the U-RNTI is configured per cell group (e.g., perMAC entity). For instance, a cell group-specific IE for configuring amaster cell group (MCG) or a secondary cell group (SCG) can be used by aUE to determine the U-RNTI is configured for the UE. The cellgroup-specific IE can indicate a value of the U-RNTI. In such examples,the U-RNTI is configured for cells within the MCG or SCG based on thecell group-specific IE. The cell group-specific IE can include theCellGroupConfig information element, the MAC-CellGroupConfig informationelement, or the PhysicalCellGroupConfig information element.

For example, during the RRC configuration or RRC reconfigurationprocedure, a gNB may configure the U-RNTI to the UE on a per cellgroup's perspective via a specific downlink RRC message (e.g.,RRCReconfiguration). Within the specific downlink RRC message, the gNBmay indicate the value of the U-RNTI (e.g., U-RNTI-Value) to the UE bycontaining a U-RNTI IE within the CellGroupConfig information element,the MAC-CellGroupConfig information element, or thePhysicalCellGroupConfig information element within theRRCReconfiguration message, as shown in FIG. 10, FIG. 11, and FIG. 12.The U-RNTI IE (highlighted along with the U-RNTI-value) within FIGS. 10,11, and 12 are just examples. In some implementations, the U-RNTI IE canbe contained in any other position (e.g., within any other IE) of theRRCReconfiguration message.

Once the gNB configures the U-RNTI to the UE on a per cell group'sperspective, some or all of the uplink grant and the downlink datascheduling to the UE on some or all of the data channels, controlchannels, and/or BWPs within the configured cell group are considered tobe assigned by the gNB to apply the RNTI-based MCS table determinationrule. For example, the uplink grant and the downlink data scheduling onother cell groups received by the UE from the gNB are not considered tobe assigned by the gNB to apply the RNTI-based MCS table determinationrule.

In another example, the U-RNTI is configured per cell. For example,during the RRC configuration or RRC reconfiguration procedure, a gNB mayconfigure the U-RNTI to the UE on a per cell's perspective via aspecific downlink RRC message (e.g., RRCReconfiguration). Within thespecific downlink RRC message, the gNB may indicate the value of theU-RNTI (e.g., U-RNTI-Value) to the UE by containing a U-RNTI IE withinthe ServingCellConfig information element or the ServingCellConfigCommoninformation, as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14. The U-RNTI IE (highlightedalong with the U-RNTI-value) shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 are just examples.In some implementations, the U-RNTI IE can also be contained in anyother position (e.g., within any other IE) of the RRCReconfigurationmessage.

For same cell scheduling cases (i.e., scheduling cell and scheduled cellis the same cell), once the gNB configures the U-RNTI to the UE on a percell's perspective, some or all of the uplink grant and the downlinkdata scheduling to the UE on some or all of the BWPs within theconfigured cell (i.e., cell which configured with the U-RNTI) areconsidered to be assigned by the gNB to apply the RNTI-based MCS tabledetermination rule. The scheduling cell is the cell from which the UEreceives the DCI, and the scheduled cell is the cell which is indicatedby the received DCI. The uplink grant and the downlink data schedulingon other cells received by the UE from the gNB are not to be consideredto be assigned by the gNB to apply the RNTI-based MCS tabledetermination rule.

In some aspects, for cross cell scheduling (i.e., scheduling cell andscheduled cell are not the same cell), the introduced per cell U-RNTIconfiguration scheme can be either only limited to the scheduling cellor the scheduled cell. For example, if the U-RNTI configuration schememay only be limited to the scheduling cell, the uplink grant and thedownlink data scheduling indicated by the DCI which is received on thescheduling cell may be indicated to apply RNTI-based MCS tabledetermination rule. However, if the U-RNTI configuration scheme is onlylimited to the scheduled cell, the uplink grant and the downlink datascheduling on the scheduled cell may be indicated to apply theRNTI-based MCS table determination rule

In some cases, once the UE is also configured with the Cellcorresponding supplemental uplink (SUL), the gNB may also indicate tothe UE which of the MCS table determination rules should apply for theSUL by configuring the U-RNTI to the UE via specific downlink RRCmessage (e.g., RRCReconfiguration). Within the specific downlink RRCmessage, the gNB indicates the value of the U-RNTI (e.g., U-RNTI-Value)to the UE by including a U-RNTI IE within the ServingCellConfiginformation element, ServingCellConfigCommon information element,supplementaryUplinkConfig information element, UplinkConfigCommoninformation element, or ServingCellConfigCommon information element.

In another example, the U-RNTI is configured per bandwidth part (BWP).For example, during the RRC configuration or RRC reconfigurationprocedure, a gNB can configure the U-RNTI to the UE on a per BWP'sperspective via specific downlink RRC message (e.g.,RRCReconfiguration). Within the specific downlink RRC message, the gNBindicates the value of the U-RNTI (e.g., U-RNTI-Value) to the UE bycontaining a U-RNTI IE within the BWP information element (i.e., one IEto configure BWP), as shown in FIG. 15, BWP-Uplink information element,BWP-UplinkDedicated information element, BWP-Downlink informationelement, or BWP-DownlinkDedicated information element withinRRCReconfiguration message. The U-RNTI IE (highlighted along with theU-RNTI-value) within FIG. 15 is just an example. IN someimplementations, the U-RNTI IE may be contained in any other position(e.g., within any other IE) of the RRCReconfiguration message.

For same BWP scheduling cases (i.e., scheduling BWP and scheduled BWP isthe same BWP), once the gNB configures the U-RNTI to the UE on per BWP'sperspective, some or all of the uplink grant and the downlink datascheduling to the UE on some or all of the data channels and controlchannels within the configured BWP may be considered to be assigned bythe gNB to apply the RNTI-based MCS table determination rule. Thescheduling BWP is the BWP from which the UE receives the DCI, and thescheduled BWP is the BWP that is indicated by the received DCI. Theuplink grant and the downlink data scheduling on other BWPs received bythe UE from the gNB are not to be considered to be assigned by the gNBto apply the RNTI-based MCS table determination rule.

In some aspects, for cross BWP scheduling (i.e., scheduling BWP andscheduled BWP are not the same BWP), the introduced per BWP U-RNTIconfiguration scheme can be either only limited to scheduling BWP orscheduled BWP. For example, if the U-RNTI configuration scheme is onlylimited to the scheduling BWP, the uplink grant and the downlink datascheduling indicated by the DCI which is received on the scheduling BWPmay be indicated to apply the RNTI-based MCS table determination rule.However, if the U-RNTI configuration scheme is only limited to thescheduled BWP, the uplink grant and the downlink data scheduling on thescheduled BWP may be indicated to apply RNTI-based MCS tabledetermination rule.

In another example, the U-RNTI is configured per control channel. Forexample, during the RRC configuration or RRC reconfiguration procedure,a gNB may configure the U-RNTI to the UE on a per control channel'sperspective via specific downlink RRC message (e.g.,RRCReconfiguration). Within the specific downlink RRC message, the gNBmay indicate the value of the U-RNTI (e.g., U-RNTI-Value) to the UE bycontaining a U-RNTI IE within the PDCCH-ConfigCommon information elementor the PDCCH-Config information element within an RRCReconfigurationmessage, as shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17. The U-RNTI IE (highlightedalong with the U-RNTI-value) within FIGS. 16 and 17 are just examples.In some implementations, the U-RNTI IE can be contained in any otherposition (e.g., within any other IE) of the RRCReconfiguration message.

Once the gNB configures the U-RNTI to the UE on per control channel'sperspective, some or all of the uplink grant and the downlink datascheduled to the UE by the gNB via the configured PDCCH may beconsidered to be assigned by the gNB to apply the RNTI-based MCS tabledetermination rule. The uplink grant and the downlink data scheduled tothe UE by the gNB via other PDCCH are not to be considered to beassigned by the gNB to apply the RNTI-based MCS table determinationrule.

In another example, the U-RNTI is configured per downlink data channel.For example, during the RRC configuration or RRC reconfigurationprocedure, a gNB may configure the U-RNTI to the UE on per downlink datachannel's perspective via specific downlink RRC message (e.g.,RRCReconfiguration). Within the specific downlink RRC message, the gNBmay indicate the value of the U-RNTI (e.g., U-RNTI-Value) to the UE bycontaining a U-RNTI IE within the PDSCH-ConfigCommon information elementor the PDSCH-Config information element within the RRCReconfigurationmessage, as shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19. The U-RNTI IE (highlightedalong with the U-RNTI-value) in FIGS. 18 and 19 are just examples. Insome implementations, the U-RNTI IE can also be included in any otherposition (e.g., within any other IE) of the RRCReconfiguration message.

Once the gNB configures the U-RNTI to the UE on a per downlink datachannel's perspective, some or all of the downlink data scheduled to theUE by the gNB on the configured PDSCH may be considered to be assignedby the gNB to apply the RNTI-based MCS table determination rule. Thedownlink data scheduled to the UE by the gNB on other PDSCH may not beconsidered to be assigned by the gNB to apply the RNTI-based MCS tabledetermination rule. The UE cannot predict when the gNB will scheduledownlink data on the configured PDSCH and also cannot predict how thegNB will schedule the downlink data via which PDCCH because NR supportscross BWP and cross serving cell scheduling. This means that once any ofone or more PDSCHs of the UE is configured with the U-RNTI, the UE willneed to perform blind decoding for the U-RNTI in every PDCCH which hasthe possibility to perform the downlink data scheduling to the PDSCH.

In another example, the U-RNTI is configured per uplink data channel.For example, during the RRC configuration or RRC reconfigurationprocedure, gNB may configure the U-RNTI to the UE on per uplink datachannel's perspective via specific downlink RRC message (e.g.,RRCReconfiguration). Within the specific downlink RRC message, the gNBmay indicate the value of the U-RNTI (e.g., U-RNTI-Value) to the UE bycontaining a U-RNTI IE within the PUSCH-ConfigCommon information elementor the PUSCH-Config information element within the RRCReconfigurationmessage, as shown in FIG. 20 and FIG. 21. The U-RNTI IE (highlightedalong with the U-RNTI-value) within FIGS. 20 and 21 are just examples.In some implementations, the U-RNTI IE can also be contained in anyother position (e.g., within any other IE) of the RRCReconfigurationmessage.

Once the gNB configures the U-RNTI to the UE on per uplink datachannel's perspective, some or all of the uplink grant scheduled to theUE by the gNB on the configured PUSCH are considered to be assigned bythe gNB to apply the RNTI-based MCS table determination rule. The uplinkgrant scheduled to the UE by the gNB on other PUSCH are not to beconsidered to be assigned by the gNB to apply the RNTI-based MCS tabledetermination rule.

It is observed that UE cannot predict when the gNB will schedule uplinkgrant on the configured PUSCH and also cannot predict how gNB willschedule the uplink grant via which PDCCH because NR supports cross BWPand cross serving cell scheduling. This means that, once any of one ormore PUSCHs of the UE is configured with the U-RNTI, the UE will need toperform blind decoding for the U-RNTI in every PDCCH which has thepossibility to perform the uplink grant scheduling to the PUSCH.

In some implementations, a two-step U-RNTI (or MCS-C-RNTI) configurationcan be performed. According to the design for the U-RNTI configurationintroduced above, whether the gNB includes the U-RNTI IE (U-RNTI-Value)in the corresponding IE or RRC message is representative as anindication of whether the UE should apply the RNTI-based MCS tabledetermination rule or not. However, in some cases, the gNB may need toindicate the U-RNTI value to the UE cell by cell, BWP by BWP, or channelby channel, which can waste radio resources. In order to make theoverall configuration procedure more efficient, a two-step U-RNTIconfiguration scheme may be implemented which can significantly reducethe repetition of including the U-RNTI IE into multiple of IEs (e.g.,CellGroupConfig, ServingCellConfig, BWP, PDCCH-Config, PDSCH-Config, orPUSCH-Config IE) for each of the cell groups, cells, BWPs, controlchannels, or data channels. In the two-step U-RNTI configuration scheme,the configuration of the U-RNTI from the gNB to the UE may be dividedinto two parts (i.e., U-RNTI-I and U-RNTI-II), which are either includedin the same or different downlink RRC messages/IEs.

The U-RNTI-I indicates the U-RNTI-Value which is shared between theconfigured cell groups, cells, BWPs, control channels, or data channelswithin the UE. The U-RNTI-II may indicate whether the U-RNTI-I (e.g.,U-RNTI-Value) should be applied for PDCCH blind decoding forcorresponding cell group, cell, BWP, control channel, or data channel.In some implementations, the U-RNTI-II may be a Boolean parameter: 1 isfor True and 0 is for False in some examples. The UE may apply theU-RNTI-I when the U-RNTI-II Boolean parameter is set to TRUE, otherwisethe UE may ignore the U-RNTI-I when the Boolean parameter is set toFalse. In some aspects, the UE may apply the U-RNTI-I when the U-RNTI-IIexists, otherwise the UE ignores the U-RNTI-I when the U-RNTI-II isabsent.

In some examples, an individual indication of whether the U-RNTI shouldbe applied can be used. For instance, for each of the different RNTIconfiguration techniques introduced above, the U-RNTI-I and U-RNTI-IIIEs can be included in different IEs accordingly. Examples will now bedescribed describing how U-RNTI-I and U-RNTI-II IEs may be placed.

Using the configuration of U-RNTI which is per cell group as an example,when all of the cell groups (e.g., MCG, SCG, or the like) configured tothe UE share a single U-RNTI value, the U-RNTI-I IE can be, but is notlimited to being, included in an RRCReconfiguration message orCellGroupConfig information element (or other cell group-specific IE),but the U-RNTI-II IE can individually be contained in each of theCellGroupConfig information element, the MAC-CellGroupConfig informationelement, or the PhysicalCellGroupConfig information element if theCellGroupConfig, MAC-CellGroupConfig, or PhysicalCellGroupConfigcorresponding cell group needs to be indicated to apply RNTI-based MCSdetermination rule. For example, if the CellGroupConfig,MAC-CellGroupConfig, or PhysicalCellGroupConfig corresponding Cell groupwas not indicated with U-RNTI-II, or U-RNTI-II is set to False, the UEwill not apply RNTI-based MCS table determination rule for the cellgroup.

Using the configuration of U-RNTI which is per cell as an example, whenall of the cells configured to the UE share a single U-RNTI value, theU-RNTI-I IE can be, but is not limited to being, included in anRRCReconfiguration message or a CellGroupConfig IE, but the U-RNTI-II IEcan be individually included in each configured cell's correspondingServingCellConfig or ServingCellConfigCommon IE if the Cell needs to beindicated to apply RNTI-based MCS determination rule. For example, ifthe ServingCellConfig or ServingCellConfigCommon corresponding Cell wasnot indicated with U-RNTI-II, or U-RNTI-II is set to False, the UE willnot apply RNTI-based MCS table determination rule for the cell.

Using the configuration of U-RNTI which is per BWP as an example, whenall of the BWPs configured to the UE share a single U-RNTI value, theU-RNTI-I IE can be, but is not limited to being, included in anRRCReconfiguration message, in a CellGroupConfig IE, in aServingCellConfig IE, or in a ServingCellConfigCommon IE, but theU-RNTI-II IE can be individually included in each configured BWP'scorresponding BWP, BWP-Uplink, BWP-UplinkDedicated, BWP-Downlink, orBWP-DownlinkDedicated IE if the BWP needs to be indicated to applyRNTI-based MCS determination rule. For example, if the BWP, BWP-Uplink,BWP-UplinkDedicated, BWP-Downlink, or BWP-DownlinkDedicatedcorresponding BWP was not indicated with U-RNTI-II, or U-RNTI-II is setto False, the UE will not apply RNTI-based MCS table determination rulefor the BWP.

Using the configuration of U-RNTI which is per control channel as anexample, when all of the control channels configured to the UE share asingle U-RNTI value, the U-RNTI-I IE can be, but is not limited tobeing, included in an RRCReconfiguration message, a CellGroupConfig IE,ServingCellConfig IE, a ServingCellConfigCommon IE, a BWP IE, aBWP-Downlink IE, or a BWP-DownlinkDedicated IE, but the U-RNTI-II IE canbe individually included in each configured control channel'scorresponding PDCCH-ConfigCommon or PDCCH-Config IE if the controlchannel needs to be indicated to apply RNTI-based MCS determinationrule. For example, if the PDCCH-ConfigCommon or PDCCH-Configcorresponding control channel was not indicated with U-RNTI-II, orU-RNTI-II is set to False, the UE will not apply RNTI-based MCS tabledetermination rule for the downlink control channel.

Using the configuration of U-RNTI which is per downlink data channel asan example, when all of the downlink data channels configured to the UEshare a single U-RNTI value, the U-RNTI-I IE can be, but is not limitedto being, included in an RRCReconfiguration message, in aCellGroupConfig IE, in a ServingCellConfig IE, in aServingCellConfigCommon IE, in a BWP IE, in a BWP-Downlink IE, or in aBWP-DownlinkDedicated IE, but the U-RNTI-II IE may be individuallyincluded in each configured control channel's correspondingPDSCH-ConfigCommon or PDSCH-Config IE if the downlink data channel needsto be indicated to apply RNTI-based MCS determination rule. For example,if the PDSCH-ConfigCommon or PDSCH-Config corresponding control was notindicated with U-RNTI-II, or U-RNTI-II is set to False, the UE will notapply RNTI-based MCS table determination rule for the downlink datachannel.

FIG. 22 and FIG. 23 show possible configuration text proposals (TP).FIG. 22 is an example of a TP showing a per cell group configuredU-RNTI-I IE. The U-RNTI-I shown in FIG. 22 indicates the U-RNTI-Value,which is shared between the configured cell groups, cells, BWPs, controlchannels, or data channels within the UE. FIG. 23 is an example of a TPshowing a per downlink data channel configured U-RNTI-II IE. TheU-RNTI-II shown in FIG. 23 indicates whether the U-RNTI-I (i.e., theU-RNTI-Value) should be applied for PDCCH blind decoding for acorresponding cell group, cell, BWP, control channel, or data channel.Some or all of the aspects described above for individually indicatingwhether the U-RNTI should be applied can logically apply similarsettings of U-RNTI-I and U-RNTI-II to corresponding IEs.

Using the configuration of U-RNTI which is per uplink data channel as anexample, when all of the uplink data channels configured to the UE sharea single U-RNTI value, the U-RNTI-I IE can be, but is not limited tobeing, included in an RRCReconfiguration message, in a CellGroupConfigIE, in a ServingCellConfig IE, in a ServingCellConfigCommon IE, in a BWPIE, in a BWP-Uplink IE, or in a BWP-UplinkDedicated IE, but theU-RNTI-II IE may individually be included in each configured controlchannel's corresponding PUSCH-ConfigCommon or PUSCH-Config IE if theuplink data channel needs to be indicated to apply RNTI-based MCSdetermination rule. For example, if the PUSCH-ConfigCommon orPUSCH-Config corresponding control was not indicated with U-RNTI-II, orU-RNTI-II is set to False, the UE will not apply RNTI-based MCS tabledetermination rule for the uplink data channel.

In some implementations, the U-RNTI-II may also be included in aconfigured grant configuration IE (e.g., the ConfiguredGrantConfig asshown in FIG. 24), while the U-RNTI-I IE can be, but is not limited tobeing, included in an RRCReconfiguration message, in a CellGroupConfigIE, in a ServingCellConfig IE, in a ServingCellConfigCommon IE, in a BWPIE, in a BWP-Uplink IE, in a BWP-UplinkDedicated IE, in a BWP-DownlinkIE, or in a BWP-DownlinkDedicated IE. It is noted that the configuredgrant may be configured by RRC per serving cell and/or per BWP.

BLER and MCS configuration will now be described. A BLER level-specificRNTI is introduced herein. For example, NR can introduce the U-RNTI forthe purpose of indicating whether the UE should apply a 1e-5 BLER MCStable for URLLC service. However, NR may introduce more options of theMCS table that have lower target BLER which bundles with differentmodulation coding schemes. Hence, a more aggressive MCS table indicationmethod may be determined from the gNB to the UE. For example, gNB mayprovide a list of U-RNTI-Value within the U-RNTI-I. This means that theU-RNTI-I IE can be a list of values of the U-RNTI (e.g., U-RNTI-Value[Value_1, Value_2, Value_3, Value_4]). Each of the values within thelist of values of the U-RNTI may refer to a different purpose (e.g.,implicitly indicating the different target BLER level of an MCS table).A third type of the U-RNTI (i.e., U-RNTI-III) may indicate which valuewithin the U-RNTI-I should be applied for the UE. For example, if theU-RNTI-III is a two-bit stream, then 00 means the UE should applyValue_1, 01 means the UE should apply Value_2, 10 means the UE shouldapply Value_3, and 11 means the UE should apply Value_4. It is notedthat each of the values within the U-RNTI-Value refers to acorresponding MCS table. Value_1 may refer to corresponding MCS table 1,Value_2 to corresponding MCS table 2, Value_3 to corresponding MCS table3, and Value_4 to corresponding MCS table 4. The four MCS tables may bedifferent in target BLER level, or in modulation coding level (maximummodulation coding ratio).

In some aspects, if the UE is indicated by the gNB to apply the SS-basedMCS determination rule, the gNB can also apply a first-IE to indicate alist of MCS tables, and apply a second-IE to indicate which of the MCStables within the first-IE should be applied for a corresponding searchspace. Both of the CSS and USS can be indicated with a single second-IEwhich can mean the MCS table applied by CSS and USS are the same.Alternatively, the CSS and USS can be indicated with two differentsecond-IEs, in which case the MCS table applied by CSS and USS are thesame or are different.

It is noted that the U-RNTI-III can be, but is not limited to being,placed together with the U-RNTI-II. Alternatively, the gNB can place theU-RNTI-III in some other corresponding IE/RRC message.

BLER and MCS are two independent factors. If the NR wants to supportmore diverse service, it may introduce more options of MCS (e.g., 64QAM,256QAM or 1024QAM) and BLER (e.g., 1e-1, 1e-5, 1e-7 or 1e-9). A possibleMCS and BLER indication example is that, while the gNB is indicating theMCS-table (e.g., currently a NR IE) to the UE, the gNB can independentlyindicate the BLER of the MCS-table via another independent IE (e.g.,BLER_indication). Hence, the UE can decide the MCS table by referring toboth of the MCS-table and the new BLER_indication IE. Alternatively, thegNB can introduce a BLER level specific U-RNTI, where the gNBpre-configures the MCS for each of the BLER level specific U-RNTI.Hence, the UE can be implicitly indicated the MCS table to use by only aBLER level specific U-RNTI.

In some aspects, the gNB may apply another independent MSC-table IE foranother specific BLER level. For example, a MCS-table: {64QAM or 256QAM}for 1e-1 BLER (e.g., MCS-table_eMBB IE), a MCS-table: {64QAM or 256QAM}(e.g., MCS-table_URLLC IE) for 1e-5 BLER and a MCS-table: {64QAM or256QAM} for 1e-7 BLER (e.g., MCS-table_SomeOtherService IE).

In some aspects, the gNB may extend the range/option within the currentMCS-table IE. Before configuring the MCS-table to the UE, gNB maypre-notify the UE on each of the options within the MCS-tablerepresenting which kind of BLER and MCS.

It is noted that both of the RNTI-based MCS determination rule and theSS-based MCS determination rule are just examples. In some cases, otherMCS table determination rules can also be applied. For example, thedesign for how to decide the MCS determination rule can also belogically adopted and/or extended to some other MCS determination rules.

In some aspects, if one of the cell groups configured to the UE isserving from another gNB or eNB (e.g., secondary node) while a cellgroup is served from master gNB or eNB, the U-RNTI-I and/or U-RNTI-IIand/or U-RNTI-III IEs may be transmitted from the master gNB to thesecondary node, or vice versa. The secondary node may either configurethose configuration information elements introduced herein to the UEdirectly, or configure those configuration information elementsaccording to the corresponding configuration receiving from the mastergNB or eNB, and vice versa.

In some aspects, the U-RNTI-I is always contained in theRRCReconfiguration message, but the U-RNTI-II is a Boolean parameter. AUE may apply the U-RNTI-I when the Boolean parameter is set to TRUE,otherwise the UE may ignore the U-RNTI-I when the Boolean parameter isset to False.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method forperforming U-RNTI based configuration per cell group, in accordance withsome examples provided herein. At step 2510, a downlink radio resourcecontrol (RRC) message is received at user equipment (UE). The RRCmessage includes a plurality of information elements (IEs). The downlinkRRC message is used to configure RRC for the UE.

At step 2520, the method determines a radio network temporary identifier(RNTI) that is associated with the UE based on a cell group-specific IEof the plurality of IEs in the downlink RRC message. The cellgroup-specific IE is used to configure a maser cell group (MCG) or asecondary cell group (SCG). The RNTI is configured for cells within theMCG or SCG based on the cell group-specific IE. The cell group-specificIE can include the CellGroupConfig information element, theMAC-CellGroupConfig information element, or the PhysicalCellGroupConfiginformation element. In some aspects, configuration parameters for theMCG or SCG are provided in the cell group-specific IE.

In some aspects, the RNTI is a Modulation Coding Scheme Cell-RNTI(MCS-C-RNTI), or a U-RNTI. In some aspects, the method further comprisesreceiving uplink grant and downlink data scheduling for the UE on one ormore physical shared channels of the MCG or SCG. In some aspects, anRNTI-based MCS table determination rule is applied to the uplink grantand downlink data scheduling in response to the MCS-C-RNTI beingconfigured via the cell group-specific IE, as described above. In someexamples, applying the RNTI-based MCS determination rule includesobtaining information from a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH),determining one or more cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits in theinformation are scrambled with the RNTI, and applying a first modulationcoding scheme (MCS) table based on the determination. In some aspects,the information obtained from the PDCCH includes downlink controlinformation (DCI). The DCI includes the one or more CRC bits scrambledwith the RNTI. In some aspects, the first MCS table is associated with ahigher channel code rate than a second MCS table.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating a method for applying the searchspace-based MCS table determination rule, in accordance with someexamples provided herein. At step 2610, downlink control information(DCI) is obtained from a downlink channel. At step 2620, a DCI formatassociated with the DCI is determined. At step 2630, it is determinedwhether a search space associated with the downlink channel is a commonsearch space (CSS) or a user equipment specific search space (USS). Atstep 2640, a first modulation coding scheme (MCS) table is applied or asecond MCS table is applied based on the DCI format and the searchspace. For example, the first MCS table or the second MCS table can beapplied for uplink grant and downlink data scheduling.

In some aspects, the DCI format is 0_0 DCI format or a 1_0 DCI format,the search space is the CSS, and the first MCS table is applied based onthe search space being the CSS and the DCI format being the 0_0 DCIformat or the 1_0 DCI format. In some aspects, the first MCS table is a64 quadrature amplitude modulation (64QAM) MCS table, such as that shownin FIG. 4. In some aspects, the first MCS table is a 256 quadratureamplitude modulation (256QAM) MCS table, such as that shown in FIG. 5.

In some aspects, the DCI format is a 0_0 DCI format, a 1_0 DCI format, a0_1 DCI format, or a 1_1 DCI format, the search space is the USS, andthe second MCS table is applied based on the search space being the USSand the DCI format being the 0_0 DCI format, the 1_0 DCI format, the 0_1DCI format, or the 1_1 DCI format. In some aspects, the second MCS tableis associated with a higher channel code rate than the first MCS tableand/or is designed for a BLER of 10⁻⁵. In some aspects, the second MCStable is an Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC)-MCStable, such as that shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating a method for applying the RNTI-basedMCS table determination rule, in accordance with some examples providedherein. At step 2710, information is obtained from a physical downlinkcontrol channel (PDCCH). At step 2720, one or more cyclic redundancycheck (CRC) bits in the information are determined to be scrambled witha Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI). At step 2730, a firstmodulation coding scheme (MCS) table is applied based on thedetermination that the one or more CRC bits in the information arescrambled with the RNTI.

In some examples, the information obtained from the PDCCH includesdownlink control information (DCI). The DCI includes the one or more CRCbits scrambled with the RNTI. In some aspects, the method furthercomprises descrambling the DCI with the RNTI.

In some examples, the first MCS table is associated with a higherchannel code rate than a second MCS table and/or is designed for a BLERof 10⁻⁵. In some aspects, the first MCS table is a Ultra-Reliable andLow Latency Communications (URLLC)-MCS (U-MCS) table, such as that shownin FIG. 3.

In some examples, the method further comprises determining one or moreCRC bits in information of an additional PDCCH are not scrambled withthe RNTI, and applying a second MCS table based on the determination. Insome aspects, the first MCS table is associated with a higher channelcode rate than the second MCS table, and can include a U-MCS table, suchas that shown in FIG. 3.

In some examples, the methods 2500, 2600, and 2700 may be performed by acomputing device or apparatus, such as a computing device having thecomputing device architecture 2800 shown in FIG. 28. The computingdevice can include a UE or other suitable device. In some cases, thecomputing device or apparatus may include an input device, an outputdevice, one or more processors, one or more microprocessors, one or moremicrocomputers, or other component that is configured to carry out thesteps of methods 2500, 2600, and 2700. The components of the computingdevice (e.g., the one or more processors, one or more microprocessors,one or more microcomputers, and/or other component) can be implementedin circuitry. For example, the components can include and/or can beimplemented using electronic circuits or other electronic hardware,which can include one or more programmable electronic circuits (e.g.,microprocessors, graphics processing units (GPUs), digital signalprocessors (DSPs), central processing units (CPUs), and/or othersuitable electronic circuits), and/or can include and/or be implementedusing computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof, toperform the various operations described herein. The computing devicemay further include a display, a network interface configured tocommunicate and/or receive the data, any combination thereof, and/orother component(s). The network interface may be configured tocommunicate and/or receive telecommunications based data or other typeof data.

Methods 2500, 2600, and 2700 are illustrated as logical flow diagrams,the operation of which represent a sequence of operations that can beimplemented in hardware, computer instructions, or a combinationthereof. In the context of computer instructions, the operationsrepresent computer-executable instructions stored on one or morecomputer-readable storage media that, when executed by one or moreprocessors, perform the recited operations. Generally,computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, and the like that perform particularfunctions or implement particular data types. The order in which theoperations are described is not intended to be construed as alimitation, and any number of the described operations can be combinedin any order and/or in parallel to implement the processes.

Additionally, the methods 2500, 2600, and 2700 may be performed underthe control of one or more computer systems configured with executableinstructions and may be implemented as code (e.g., executableinstructions, one or more computer programs, or one or moreapplications) executing collectively on one or more processors, byhardware, or combinations thereof. As noted above, the code may bestored on a computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium, forexample, in the form of a computer program comprising a plurality ofinstructions executable by one or more processors. The computer-readableor machine-readable storage medium may be non-transitory.

FIG. 28 illustrates an example computing device architecture 2800 of anexample computing device which can implement the various techniquesdescribed herein. The components of computing device architecture 2800are shown in electrical communication with each other using connection2805, such as a bus. The example computing device architecture 2800includes a processing unit (CPU or processor) 2810 and computing deviceconnection 2805 that couples various computing device componentsincluding computing device memory 2815, such as read only memory (ROM)2820 and random access memory (RAM) 2825, to processor 2810.

Computing device architecture 2800 can include a cache of high-speedmemory connected directly with, in close proximity to, or integrated aspart of processor 2810. Computing device architecture 2800 can copy datafrom memory 2815 and/or the storage device 2830 to cache 2812 for quickaccess by processor 2810. In this way, the cache can provide aperformance boost that avoids processor 2810 delays while waiting fordata. These and other modules can control or be configured to controlprocessor 2810 to perform various actions. Other computing device memory2815 may be available for use as well. Memory 2815 can include multipledifferent types of memory with different performance characteristics.Processor 2810 can include any general purpose processor and a hardwareor software service, such as service 1 2832, service 2 2834, and service3 2836 stored in storage device 2830, configured to control processor2810 as well as a special-purpose processor where software instructionsare incorporated into the processor design. Processor 2810 may be aself-contained system, containing multiple cores or processors, a bus,memory controller, cache, etc. A multi-core processor may be symmetricor asymmetric.

To enable user interaction with the computing device architecture 2800,input device 2845 can represent any number of input mechanisms, such asa microphone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture orgraphical input, keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech and so forth.Output device 2835 can also be one or more of a number of outputmechanisms known to those of skill in the art, such as a display,projector, television, speaker device, etc. In some instances,multimodal computing devices can enable a user to provide multiple typesof input to communicate with computing device architecture 2800.Communications interface 2840 can generally govern and manage the userinput and computing device output. There is no restriction on operatingon any particular hardware arrangement and therefore the basic featureshere may easily be substituted for improved hardware or firmwarearrangements as they are developed.

Storage device 2830 is a non-volatile memory and can be a hard disk orother types of computer readable media which can store data that areaccessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memorycards, solid state memory devices, digital versatile disks, cartridges,random access memories (RAMs) 2825, read only memory (ROM) 2820, andhybrids thereof. Storage device 2830 can include services 2832, 2834,2836 for controlling processor 2810. Other hardware or software modulesare contemplated. Storage device 2830 can be connected to the computingdevice connection 2805. In one aspect, a hardware module that performs aparticular function can include the software component stored in acomputer-readable medium in connection with the necessary hardwarecomponents, such as processor 2810, connection 2805, output device 2835,and so forth, to carry out the function.

The term “computer-readable medium” includes, but is not limited to,portable or non-portable storage devices, optical storage devices, andvarious other mediums capable of storing, containing, or carryinginstruction(s) and/or data. A computer-readable medium may include anon-transitory medium in which data can be stored and that does notinclude carrier waves and/or transitory electronic signals propagatingwirelessly or over wired connections. Examples of a non-transitorymedium may include, but are not limited to, a magnetic disk or tape,optical storage media such as compact disk (CD) or digital versatiledisk (DVD), flash memory, memory or memory devices. A computer-readablemedium may have stored thereon code and/or machine-executableinstructions that may represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, aprogram, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class,or any combination of instructions, data structures, or programstatements. A code segment may be coupled to another code segment or ahardware circuit by passing and/or receiving information, data,arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments,parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via anysuitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing,network transmission, or the like.

In some embodiments the computer-readable storage devices, mediums, andmemories can include a cable or wireless signal containing a bit streamand the like. However, when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readablestorage media expressly exclude media such as energy, carrier signals,electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.

Specific details are provided in the description above to provide athorough understanding of the embodiments and examples provided herein.However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art thatthe embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. Forclarity of explanation, in some instances the present technology may bepresented as including individual functional blocks including functionalblocks comprising devices, device components, steps or routines in amethod embodied in software, or combinations of hardware and software.Additional components may be used other than those shown in the figuresand/or described herein. For example, circuits, systems, networks,processes, and other components may be shown as components in blockdiagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessarydetail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms,structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail inorder to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

Individual embodiments may be described above as a process or methodwhich is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, astructure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describethe operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can beperformed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of theoperations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when itsoperations are completed, but could have additional steps not includedin a figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, aprocedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process correspondsto a function, its termination can correspond to a return of thefunction to the calling function or the main function.

Processes and methods according to the above-described examples can beimplemented using computer-executable instructions that are stored orotherwise available from computer-readable media. Such instructions caninclude, for example, instructions and data which cause or otherwiseconfigure a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or aprocessing device to perform a certain function or group of functions.Portions of computer resources used can be accessible over a network.The computer executable instructions may be, for example, binaries,intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware,source code, etc. Examples of computer-readable media that may be usedto store instructions, information used, and/or information createdduring methods according to described examples include magnetic oroptical disks, flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatilememory, networked storage devices, and so on.

Devices implementing processes and methods according to thesedisclosures can include hardware, software, firmware, middleware,microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof,and can take any of a variety of form factors. When implemented insoftware, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or codesegments to perform the necessary tasks (e.g., a computer-programproduct) may be stored in a computer-readable or machine-readablemedium. A processor(s) may perform the necessary tasks. Typical examplesof form factors include laptops, smart phones, mobile phones, tabletdevices or other small form factor personal computers, personal digitalassistants, rackmount devices, standalone devices, and so on.Functionality described herein also can be embodied in peripherals oradd-in cards. Such functionality can also be implemented on a circuitboard among different chips or different processes executing in a singledevice, by way of further example.

The instructions, media for conveying such instructions, computingresources for executing them, and other structures for supporting suchcomputing resources are example means for providing the functionsdescribed in the disclosure.

In the foregoing description, aspects of the application are describedwith reference to specific embodiments thereof, but those skilled in theart will recognize that the application is not limited thereto. Thus,while illustrative embodiments of the application have been described indetail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may beotherwise variously embodied and employed, and that the appended claimsare intended to be construed to include such variations, except aslimited by the prior art. Various features and aspects of theabove-described application may be used individually or jointly.Further, embodiments can be utilized in any number of environments andapplications beyond those described herein without departing from thebroader spirit and scope of the specification. The specification anddrawings are, accordingly, to be regarded as illustrative rather thanrestrictive. For the purposes of illustration, methods were described ina particular order. It should be appreciated that in alternateembodiments, the methods may be performed in a different order than thatdescribed.

One of ordinary skill will appreciate that the less than (“<”) andgreater than (“>”) symbols or terminology used herein can be replacedwith less than or equal to (“≤”) and greater than or equal to (“≥”)symbols, respectively, without departing from the scope of thisdescription.

Where components are described as being “configured to” perform certainoperations, such configuration can be accomplished, for example, bydesigning electronic circuits or other hardware to perform theoperation, by programming programmable electronic circuits (e.g.,microprocessors, or other suitable electronic circuits) to perform theoperation, or any combination thereof.

The phrase “coupled to” refers to any component that is physicallyconnected to another component either directly or indirectly, and/or anycomponent that is in communication with another component (e.g.,connected to the other component over a wired or wireless connection,and/or other suitable communication interface) either directly orindirectly.

Claim language or other language reciting “at least one of” a setindicates that one member of the set or multiple members of the setsatisfy the claim. For example, claim language reciting “at least one ofA and B” means A, B, or A and B.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, andalgorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software,firmware, or combinations thereof. To clearly illustrate thisinterchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrativecomponents, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been describedabove generally in terms of their functionality. Whether suchfunctionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality invarying ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the present application.

The techniques described herein may also be implemented in electronichardware, computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Suchtechniques may be implemented in any of a variety of devices such asgeneral purposes computers, wireless communication device handsets, orintegrated circuit devices having multiple uses including application inwireless communication device handsets and other devices. Any featuresdescribed as modules or components may be implemented together in anintegrated logic device or separately as discrete but interoperablelogic devices. If implemented in software, the techniques may berealized at least in part by a computer-readable data storage mediumcomprising program code including instructions that, when executed,performs one or more of the methods described above. Thecomputer-readable data storage medium may form part of a computerprogram product, which may include packaging materials. Thecomputer-readable medium may comprise memory or data storage media, suchas random access memory (RAM) such as synchronous dynamic random accessmemory (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random accessmemory (NVRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory(EEPROM), FLASH memory, magnetic or optical data storage media, and thelike. The techniques additionally, or alternatively, may be realized atleast in part by a computer-readable communication medium that carriesor communicates program code in the form of instructions or datastructures and that can be accessed, read, and/or executed by acomputer, such as propagated signals or waves.

The program code may be executed by a processor, which may include oneor more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors(DSPs), general purpose microprocessors, an application specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), orother equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry. Such aprocessor may be configured to perform any of the techniques describedin this disclosure. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor;but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration. Accordingly, the term “processor,” as used herein mayrefer to any of the foregoing structure, any combination of theforegoing structure, or any other structure or apparatus suitable forimplementation of the techniques described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, at user equipment(UE), a downlink radio resource control (RRC) message including aplurality of information elements (IEs), wherein the downlink RRCmessage is used to configure RRC for the UE; and determining a radionetwork temporary identifier (RNTI) associated with the UE based on acell group-specific IE of the plurality of IEs in the downlink RRCmessage, the cell group-specific IE being used to configure a mastercell group (MCG) or a secondary cell group (SCG), and wherein the RNTIis configured for cells within the MCG or SCG based on the cellgroup-specific IE.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein configurationparameters for the MCG or SCG are provided in the cell group-specificIE.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the RNTI is a Modulation CodingScheme Cell-RNTI (MCS-C-RNTI).
 4. The method of claim 3, furthercomprising: receiving uplink grant and downlink data scheduling for theUE on one or more physical shared channels of the MCG or SCG.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein an RNTI-based modulation coding scheme (MCS)determination rule is applied to the uplink grant and downlink datascheduling in response to the MCS-C-RNTI being configured via the cellgroup-specific IE.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein applying theRNTI-based MCS determination rule includes: obtaining information from aphysical downlink control channel (PDCCH); determining one or morecyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits in the information are scrambled withthe RNTI; and applying a first modulation coding scheme (MCS) tablebased on the determination.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein theinformation obtained from the PDCCH includes downlink controlinformation (DCI), the DCI including the one or more CRC bits scrambledwith the RNTI.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first MCS table isassociated with a higher channel code rate than a second MCS table. 9.An apparatus comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memoryand configured to: receive a downlink radio resource control (RRC)message including a plurality of information elements (IEs), wherein thedownlink RRC message is used to configure RRC for the apparatus; anddetermine a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) associated withthe apparatus based on a cell group-specific IE of the plurality of IEsin the downlink RRC message, the cell group-specific IE being used toconfigure a master cell group (MCG) or a secondary cell group (SCG), andwherein the RNTI is configured for cells within the MCG or SCG based onthe cell group-specific IE.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, whereinconfiguration parameters for the MCG or SCG are provided in the cellgroup-specific IE.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the RNTI is aModulation Coding Scheme Cell-RNTI (MCS-C-RNTI).
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive uplinkgrant and downlink data scheduling for the apparatus on one or morephysical shared channels of the MCG or SCG.
 13. The apparatus of claim12, wherein an RNTI-based modulation coding scheme (MCS) determinationrule is applied to the uplink grant and downlink data scheduling inresponse to the MCS-C-RNTI being configured via the cell group-specificIE.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein applying the RNTI-based MCSdetermination rule includes: obtaining information from a physicaldownlink control channel (PDCCH); determining one or more cyclicredundancy check (CRC) bits in the information are scrambled with theRNTI; and applying a first modulation coding scheme (MCS) table based onthe determination.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein theinformation obtained from the PDCCH includes downlink controlinformation (DCI), the DCI including the one or more CRC bits scrambledwith the RNTI.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first MCStable is associated with a higher channel code rate than a second MCStable.
 17. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is a mobiledevice.
 18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium of a userequipment (UE) having stored thereon instructions that, when executed byone or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive adownlink radio resource control (RRC) message including a plurality ofinformation elements (IEs), wherein the downlink RRC message is used toconfigure RRC for the UE; and determine a radio network temporaryidentifier (RNTI) associated with the UE based on a cell group-specificIE of the plurality of IEs in the downlink RRC message, the cellgroup-specific IE being used to configure a master cell group (MCG) or asecondary cell group (SCG), and wherein the RNTI is configured for cellswithin the MCG or SCG based on the cell group-specific IE.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, whereinconfiguration parameters for the MCG or SCG are provided in the cellgroup-specific IE.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 18, wherein the RNTI is a Modulation Coding Scheme Cell-RNTI(MCS-C-RNTI).
 21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim20, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one ormore processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive uplinkgrant and downlink data scheduling for the UE on one or more physicalshared channels of the MCG or SCG.
 22. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein an RNTI-based modulationcoding scheme (MCS) determination rule is applied to the uplink grantand downlink data scheduling in response to the MCS-C-RNTI beingconfigured via the cell group-specific IE.
 23. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein applying the RNTI-basedMCS determination rule includes: obtaining information from a physicaldownlink control channel (PDCCH); determining one or more cyclicredundancy check (CRC) bits in the information are scrambled with theRNTI; and applying a first modulation coding scheme (MCS) table based onthe determination.
 24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 23, wherein the information obtained from the PDCCH includesdownlink control information (DCI), the DCI including the one or moreCRC bits scrambled with the RNTI.
 25. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the first MCS table isassociated with a higher channel code rate than a second MCS table.